The Treasure Chest “Your royal Highness, Graf Leopold von Regensburg!” The maître d’chambre stepped aside, and Leopold walked past him and the two guards flanking the entrance to the Great Hall of the Schloss Regensburg to kneel before his cousin, Prince Paulus. “God keep you, your Highness. All your subjects from Regensburg greet you. WeContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 16”
Author Archives: mourningdove
Advent Calendar Story: Day 15
The Toyseller (Part 2) Leopold pushed the head of the wooden bird down over and over again, marveling each time at how its tail of real feathers swished up into the air. He shook his head: “Now, the man who can make this has real skills,” he said. “Unlike a graf.” Bernard chuckled and turnedContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 15”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 14
The Dancers It had been years since Ursula had had a meal anything like the feast at the burgermeister’s. Elisabeth pinched her pennies until they oinked, and Christmas at her house was all of a stewed hen and dumplings if she were in a good mood. Ursula’s father had loved good food, being a wineContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 14”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 13
The Bell Tower “Ursula! The bells! We have to go….” Ursula ground her teeth and balled her hands into fists behind the dressing screen in Sidonie’s room. “It doesn’t fit. Just go without me.” “Oh, honestly!” And then Ursula was being yanked by the hand out from behind the screen and twirled around by Sidonie,Continue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 13”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 12
The Toyseller It was hard to know what to pick. Ursula jingled the copper pennies in her fist and glanced back and forth between a little rag doll with a flouncy dress and button eyes and a wooden horse with wheels you could pull by a string. At last she decided that if it wereContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 12”
Red Pandas in snow
youtube.com/watch If your week is starting out like…you know…I think the odds that you can get it back on track by watching this video are actually quite good.
Advent Calendar Story: Day 11
The Tavern “I heard the graf was down in the market yesterday with a woman!” “A woman? St. Hildy’s bones! I thought horses were all the man cared for.” “He’d best start prizing skirts over saddles. He needs an heir! If he doesn’t get one, Sigismund will take most of his domain and give itContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 11”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 10
Women Winding a Ball of Yarn “Don’t fidget!” snapped Aunt Elisabeth. The silence was what was making Ursula fidget. Usually her aunt gossiped away about the neighbors as they wound balls of yarn together for her knitting work, but not today. Ursula didn’t mind winding so much as spinning. True, her arms got tired fromContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 10”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 9
The Gaming Booth Ursula stood with a cup of glühwein warm in her hands watching two little boys play games in the Christmas Market. They were tossing wooden rings at a wall of pegs in the hopes of winning a little whittled cat with its barky tail curled winsomely around its belly. She couldn’t believeContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 9”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 8
The Storehouse “I can’t tell you how overjoyed we were when the watchmen reported seeing your party emerge from the Fichtenwald,” the burgermeister said over his shoulder as he led the graf up the last dusty, winding flight of stairs. He took a fat ring of keys from his belt, and they jingled like bellsContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 8”
The Rookery 